<s>
In	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
,	O
the	O
market	O
for	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
has	O
frequently	O
been	O
segmented	O
into	O
generations	O
,	O
grouping	O
consoles	O
that	O
are	O
considered	O
to	O
have	O
shared	O
in	O
a	O
competitive	O
marketspace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
first	B-Device
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
in	O
1972	O
,	O
there	O
have	O
been	O
nine	O
defined	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
generations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
console	B-Application
generation	I-Application
typically	O
has	O
occurred	O
approximately	O
every	O
five	O
years	O
,	O
in	O
keeping	O
pace	O
with	O
Moore	O
's	O
law	O
for	O
technology	O
,	O
though	O
more	O
recent	O
generations	O
have	O
had	O
extended	O
periods	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
console	O
revisions	O
rather	O
than	O
completely	O
new	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
all	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
are	O
defined	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
these	O
generations	O
;	O
only	O
those	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
significant	O
competitive	O
consoles	O
are	O
classed	O
into	O
generations	O
,	O
and	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
microconsoles	B-Device
are	O
often	O
omitted	O
from	O
these	O
generations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
most	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
,	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
are	O
developed	O
based	O
on	O
improving	O
the	O
features	O
offered	O
by	O
an	O
earlier	O
product	O
with	O
advances	O
made	O
by	O
newer	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
these	O
improvements	O
typically	O
occur	O
every	O
five	O
years	O
,	O
following	O
a	O
Moore	O
's	O
law	O
progression	O
where	O
a	O
rough	O
aggregate	O
measure	O
of	O
processing	O
power	O
doubles	O
every	O
18	O
months	O
or	O
increases	O
ten-fold	O
after	O
five	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
cyclic	O
market	O
has	O
resulted	O
in	O
an	O
industry-wide	O
adoption	O
of	O
the	O
razorblade	O
model	O
in	O
selling	O
consoles	O
at	O
minimal	O
profit	O
margin	O
while	O
making	O
revenue	O
from	O
the	O
sale	O
of	O
games	O
produced	O
for	O
that	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
transitioning	O
users	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
console	O
model	O
at	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
year	O
as	O
the	O
successor	O
console	O
enters	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
systematic	O
market	O
has	O
created	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
console	B-Application
generations	I-Application
,	O
categorizing	O
the	O
primary	O
consoles	O
into	O
these	O
segmented	O
time	O
periods	O
that	O
represent	O
consoles	O
with	O
similar	O
capabilities	O
and	O
which	O
shared	O
the	O
same	O
competitive	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
no	O
exact	O
definition	O
and	O
delineation	O
of	O
console	B-Application
generations	I-Application
was	O
consistently	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
or	O
academic	O
literature	O
since	O
that	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wikipedia	O
itself	O
has	O
been	O
noted	O
for	O
creating	O
its	O
own	O
version	O
of	O
console	B-Application
generation	I-Application
definitions	O
that	O
differ	O
from	O
other	O
academic	O
sources	O
,	O
the	O
definitions	O
from	O
Wikipedia	O
has	O
been	O
adopted	O
by	O
other	O
sources	O
but	O
without	O
having	O
any	O
true	O
rationale	O
behind	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kemerer	O
et	B-Application
al	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
purposes	O
of	O
organization	O
,	O
the	O
generations	O
described	O
here	O
and	O
subsequent	O
pages	O
maintain	O
the	O
Wikipedia	O
breakdown	O
of	O
generation	O
,	O
generally	O
breaking	O
consoles	O
apart	O
by	O
technology	O
features	O
whenever	O
possible	O
and	O
with	O
other	O
consoles	O
released	O
in	O
that	O
same	O
period	O
incorporated	O
within	O
that	O
same	O
generation	O
,	O
and	O
starting	O
with	O
the	O
Odyssey	B-Device
and	O
Pong-style	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
as	O
the	O
first	B-Device
generation	O
,	O
an	O
approach	O
that	O
has	O
generally	O
been	O
adopted	O
and	O
extended	O
by	O
video	O
game	O
journalism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
approach	O
the	O
generation	O
"	O
starts	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
first	B-Device
console	O
considered	O
to	O
have	O
those	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
considered	O
to	O
end	O
with	O
the	O
known	O
last	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
a	O
console	O
in	O
that	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
third	B-Application
generation	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
end	O
in	O
2003	O
with	O
the	O
formal	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
approach	O
uses	O
the	O
concepts	O
of	O
"	O
bits	O
"	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
individual	O
word	O
length	O
handled	O
by	O
the	O
processors	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
earlier	O
console	B-Application
generations	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
bits	O
to	O
market	O
consoles	O
to	O
consumers	O
started	O
with	O
the	O
TurboGrafx	B-General_Concept
16	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
console	O
that	O
used	O
an	O
8-bit	O
central	O
processing	O
unit	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
included	O
a	O
16-bit	O
graphical	O
processing	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
advertisers	O
followed	O
suit	O
,	O
creating	O
a	O
period	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
bit	O
wars	O
"	O
that	O
lasted	O
through	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
,	O
where	O
console	O
manufactures	O
tried	O
to	O
outsell	O
each	O
other	O
simply	O
on	O
the	O
bit-count	O
of	O
their	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
some	O
"	O
128	O
Bit	O
"	O
advertising	O
slogans	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	O
,	O
marketing	O
with	O
bits	O
largely	O
stopped	O
after	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
bit	O
terminology	O
was	O
no	O
longer	O
used	O
in	O
newer	O
generations	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
bit-count	O
helped	O
to	O
establish	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
console	B-Application
generations	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
earlier	O
generations	O
gained	O
alternate	O
names	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
dominant	O
bit-count	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
systems	O
of	O
that	O
era	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
third	B-Application
generation	O
being	O
the	O
8-bit	B-Application
era	I-Application
or	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
console	B-Application
generations	I-Application
are	O
based	O
on	O
groupings	O
of	O
release	O
dates	O
rather	O
than	O
common	O
hardware	O
as	O
base	O
hardware	O
configurations	O
between	O
consoles	O
have	O
greatly	O
diverged	O
,	O
generally	O
following	O
trends	O
in	O
generation	O
definition	O
given	O
by	O
video	O
game	O
and	O
mainstream	O
journalism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Handheld	O
consoles	O
and	O
other	O
gaming	O
systems	O
and	O
innovations	O
are	O
frequently	O
grouped	O
within	O
the	O
release	O
years	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
generations	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
the	O
growth	O
of	O
digital	O
distribution	O
is	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
primarily	O
follows	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
video	O
gaming	O
in	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
and	O
Japanese	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Few	O
other	O
markets	O
saw	O
any	O
significant	O
console	O
development	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
in	O
Europe	O
where	O
personal	O
computers	O
tended	O
to	O
be	O
favored	O
alongside	O
imports	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
clones	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
in	O
less-developed	O
markets	O
like	O
China	O
and	O
Russia	O
are	O
not	O
considered	O
here	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	B-Device
generation	O
of	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
were	O
generally	O
limited	O
to	O
dedicated	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
with	O
just	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
games	O
pre-built	O
into	O
the	O
console	O
hardware	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
limited	O
means	O
to	O
alter	O
gameplay	O
factors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
the	O
Odyssey	B-Device
,	O
while	O
it	O
did	O
ship	O
with	O
"	O
game	O
cards	O
"	O
,	O
these	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
any	O
programmed	O
games	O
on	O
them	O
but	O
instead	O
acted	O
as	O
jumpers	B-Device
to	O
alter	O
the	O
existing	O
circuitry	O
pathway	O
,	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
extend	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
most	O
other	O
future	O
console	B-Application
generations	I-Application
,	O
the	O
first	B-Device
generation	O
of	O
consoles	O
were	O
typically	O
built	O
in	O
limited	O
runs	O
rather	O
than	O
as	O
an	O
ongoing	O
product	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	B-Device
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
was	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Device
Odyssey	I-Device
in	O
September	O
1972	O
based	O
on	O
Baer	O
's	O
"	O
Brown	B-Device
Box	I-Device
"	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
built	O
from	O
solid-state	O
circuits	O
,	O
Magnavox	O
transitioned	O
to	O
integrated	O
circuit	O
chips	O
that	O
were	O
inexpensive	O
,	O
and	O
developed	O
a	O
new	O
line	O
of	O
consoles	O
in	O
the	O
Odyssey	B-Device
series	I-Device
from	O
1975	O
to	O
1977	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
,	O
Atari	O
had	O
successfully	O
launched	O
Pong	O
as	O
an	O
arcade	O
game	O
in	O
1972	O
,	O
and	O
began	O
work	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
version	O
in	O
late	O
1974	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
eventually	O
partnered	O
with	O
Sears	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
home	O
Pong	O
console	O
by	O
the	O
1975	O
Christmas	O
season	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pong	O
offered	O
several	O
technological	O
advantages	O
over	O
the	O
Odyssey	B-Device
,	O
including	O
an	O
internal	O
sound	O
chip	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
track	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Baer	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
struggling	O
with	O
Magnavox	O
 '	O
management	O
on	O
how	O
to	O
market	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
gave	O
his	O
colleague	O
Arnold	O
Greenberg	O
of	O
Coleco	O
a	O
heads-up	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
low-cost	O
chip	O
ideal	O
for	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
,	O
which	O
led	O
Coleco	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
first	B-Device
Telstar	B-Application
console	O
in	O
1976	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Magnavox	O
,	O
Atari	O
and	O
Coleco	O
all	O
vying	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
space	O
by	O
1976	O
and	O
further	O
cost	O
reductions	O
in	O
key	O
processing	O
chips	O
from	O
General	O
Instruments	O
,	O
numerous	O
third-party	O
manufacturers	O
entered	O
the	O
console	O
market	O
by	O
1977	O
,	O
most	O
simply	O
cloning	O
Pong	O
or	O
other	O
games	O
and	O
of	O
poor	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
to	O
market	O
saturation	O
by	O
1977	O
,	O
with	O
several	O
hundreds	O
of	O
consoles	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
industry	O
's	O
first	B-Device
market	O
crash	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
and	O
Coleco	O
attempted	O
to	O
make	O
dedicated	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
with	O
wholly	O
new	O
games	O
to	O
remain	O
competitive	O
,	O
including	O
Atari	O
's	O
Video	B-Application
Pinball	I-Application
series	I-Application
and	O
Coleco	O
's	O
Telstar	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
,	O
but	O
by	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
the	O
first	B-Device
steps	O
of	O
the	O
market	O
's	O
transition	O
to	O
the	O
second	B-Application
generation	O
of	O
consoles	O
had	O
begun	O
,	O
making	O
these	O
units	O
obsolete	O
near	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
already	O
been	O
a	O
business	O
partner	O
with	O
Magnavox	O
by	O
1971	O
and	O
helped	O
to	O
design	O
the	O
early	O
light	B-Device
guns	I-Device
for	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dedicated	O
home	B-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
in	O
Japan	O
appeared	O
in	O
1975	O
with	O
Epoch	O
Co.	O
'	O
s	O
TV	B-Application
Tennis	I-Application
Electrotennis	I-Application
,	O
which	O
it	O
had	O
made	O
in	O
partnership	O
with	O
Magnavox	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
numerous	O
clones	O
of	O
these	O
dedicated	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
began	O
to	O
appear	O
,	O
most	O
made	O
by	O
the	O
large	O
television	O
manufacturers	O
like	O
Toshiba	O
and	O
Sharp	O
,	O
and	O
these	O
games	O
would	O
be	O
called	O
TV	O
geemu	O
or	O
terebi	O
geemu	O
(	O
TV	O
game	O
)	O
as	O
the	O
designation	O
for	O
"	O
video	O
games	O
"	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
became	O
a	O
major	O
player	O
when	O
Mitsubishi	O
,	O
having	O
lost	O
their	O
manufacturer	O
Systek	O
due	O
to	O
bankruptcy	O
,	O
turned	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
help	O
continue	O
to	O
build	O
their	O
Color	B-Application
TV-Game	I-Application
line	O
,	O
which	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
sell	O
about	O
1.5	O
million	O
units	O
across	O
five	O
different	O
units	O
between	O
1977	O
and	O
1980	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	B-Application
generation	O
of	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
was	O
distinguished	O
by	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
,	O
where	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
code	O
is	O
stored	O
in	O
read-only	B-Device
memory	I-Device
(	O
ROM	B-Device
)	O
within	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
is	O
slotted	O
into	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
electrical	O
connections	O
allow	O
the	O
main	O
console	O
's	O
processors	O
to	O
read	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
code	O
from	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
had	O
been	O
used	O
in	O
other	O
computer	O
applications	O
prior	O
,	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
game	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
was	O
first	B-Device
implemented	O
in	O
the	O
Fairchild	B-Operating_System
Video	I-Operating_System
Entertainment	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
(	O
VES	O
)	O
in	O
November	O
1976	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
consoles	O
during	O
this	O
generation	O
,	O
all	O
which	O
used	O
cartridge-based	O
systems	O
,	O
included	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
(	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Video	I-General_Concept
Computer	I-General_Concept
System	I-General_Concept
(	O
VCS	O
)	O
at	O
launch	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Mattel	B-Operating_System
Electronics	I-Operating_System
 '	O
Intellivision	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
the	O
ColecoVision	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
cartridge-based	O
consoles	O
came	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
wide	O
array	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
forefronts	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
its	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
developments	O
coincided	O
with	O
the	O
Golden	O
age	O
of	O
arcade	O
video	O
games	O
that	O
started	O
in	O
1978	O
–	O
1979	O
with	O
the	O
releases	O
of	O
Space	B-Application
Invaders	I-Application
and	O
Asteroids	B-Application
,	O
and	O
home	O
versions	O
of	O
these	O
arcade	O
games	O
were	O
ideal	O
targets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
Space	B-Application
Invaders	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
1980	O
,	O
was	O
considered	O
the	O
killer	O
app	O
for	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
,	O
helping	O
to	O
quadruple	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
sales	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Coleco	O
had	O
beaten	O
Atari	O
to	O
a	O
key	O
licensing	O
deal	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
bring	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
as	O
a	O
pack-in	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Colecovision	B-Device
,	O
helping	O
to	O
drive	O
its	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
proceeded	O
to	O
develop	O
their	O
own	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
games	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
games	O
for	O
other	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
attempted	O
legal	O
action	O
to	O
stop	O
this	O
practice	O
but	O
ended	O
up	O
settling	O
out	O
of	O
court	O
,	O
with	O
Activision	O
agreeing	O
to	O
pay	O
royalties	O
but	O
otherwise	O
able	O
to	O
continue	O
game	O
development	O
,	O
making	O
Activision	O
the	O
first	B-Device
third-party	O
game	O
developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
in	O
following	O
on	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Space	B-Application
Invaders	I-Application
,	O
Atari	O
and	O
other	O
companies	O
had	O
remained	O
eager	O
for	O
licensed	O
video	O
game	O
possibilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
had	O
banked	O
heavily	O
on	O
commercial	O
sales	O
of	O
E.T.	B-Application
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
competition	O
from	O
inexpensive	O
home	O
computers	O
,	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
market	O
crashed	O
in	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
most	O
part	O
,	O
the	O
1983	O
crash	O
signaled	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Famicom	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
brought	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
third	B-Application
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Nintendo	O
brought	O
the	O
Famicom	O
to	O
North	O
America	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
"	O
,	O
it	O
helped	O
to	O
revitalize	O
the	O
industry	O
,	O
and	O
Atari	O
,	O
now	O
owned	O
by	O
Jack	O
Tramiel	O
,	O
pushed	O
on	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
previously-successful	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
under	O
new	O
branding	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
company	O
afloat	O
for	O
many	O
more	O
years	O
while	O
he	O
transitioned	O
the	O
company	O
more	O
towards	O
the	O
personal	O
computer	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
stayed	O
in	O
production	O
until	O
1992	O
,	O
marking	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
second	B-Application
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Frequently	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
8-bit	O
generation	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
third	B-Application
generation	O
's	O
consoles	O
used	O
8-bit	O
processors	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
up	O
to	O
five	O
bits	O
of	O
color	O
(	O
25	O
or	O
32	O
colors	O
)	O
,	O
five	O
audio	O
channels	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
advanced	O
graphics	O
capability	O
including	O
sprites	O
and	O
tiles	B-Application
rather	O
than	O
block-based	O
graphics	O
of	O
the	O
second	B-Application
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
the	O
third	B-Application
console	O
saw	O
the	O
market	O
dominance	O
shift	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
to	O
Japan	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
1983	O
crash	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
SG-1000	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Famicom	O
launched	O
near	O
simultaneously	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
wanted	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
loss	O
of	O
publishing	O
control	O
that	O
had	O
occurred	O
both	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
in	O
Asia	O
after	O
the	O
Famicom	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
created	O
a	O
lockout	B-Device
system	I-Device
that	O
required	O
all	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
to	O
be	O
manufactured	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
include	O
a	O
special	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Atari	O
's	O
attempts	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
the	O
NES	O
via	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
in	O
1987	O
failed	O
to	O
knock	O
the	O
NES	O
from	O
its	O
dominant	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NES	O
remained	O
in	O
production	O
until	O
2003	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
discontinued	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	O
of	O
consoles	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
16-bit	O
generation	O
"	O
,	O
further	O
advanced	O
core	O
console	O
technology	O
with	O
16-bit	O
processors	O
,	O
improving	O
the	O
available	O
graphics	O
and	O
audio	O
capabilities	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NEC	O
's	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
(	O
or	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
as	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
,	O
first	B-Device
released	O
in	O
1987	O
,	O
is	O
considered	O
the	O
first	B-Device
fourth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
console	I-Application
even	O
though	O
it	O
still	O
had	O
an	O
8-bit	O
CPU	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
's	O
16-bit	O
graphics	O
processor	O
gave	O
it	O
capabilities	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
other	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
NEC	O
's	O
marketing	O
had	O
pushed	O
the	O
console	O
being	O
an	O
advancement	O
over	O
the	O
NES	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
16-bit	O
"	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Sega	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
entered	O
the	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	O
with	O
true	O
16-bit	O
systems	O
in	O
the	O
1988	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
(	O
MegaDrive	B-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
1990	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
,	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SNK	O
also	O
entered	O
the	O
competition	O
with	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
of	O
their	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
MVS	I-Application
arcade	O
system	O
into	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
1990	O
,	O
which	O
attempted	O
to	O
bridge	O
the	O
gap	O
between	O
arcade	O
and	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
systems	O
with	O
the	O
shared	O
use	O
of	O
common	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
and	O
memory	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
,	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
challenge	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
dominant	O
position	O
,	O
created	O
the	O
mascot	O
character	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
who	O
exhibited	O
cool	O
personality	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
the	O
Western	O
youth	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Mario	B-Application
,	O
and	O
bundled	O
the	O
Genesis	O
with	O
the	B-Application
game	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
same	I-Application
name	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
generation	O
,	O
the	O
technology	O
costs	O
of	O
using	O
optical	B-Device
discs	I-Device
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
has	O
dropped	O
sufficiently	O
to	O
make	O
them	O
desirable	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
shipping	O
computer	O
software	O
,	O
including	O
for	O
video	O
games	O
for	O
personal	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD-ROMs	B-Device
offered	O
more	O
storage	O
space	O
than	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
and	O
could	O
allow	O
for	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
and	O
other	O
detailed	O
audio-video	O
works	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Console	O
manufacturers	O
adapted	O
by	O
creating	O
hardware	O
add-ons	O
to	O
their	O
consoles	O
that	O
could	O
read	O
and	O
play	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
,	O
including	O
NEC	O
's	O
TurboGrafx-CD	O
add-on	O
(	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
integrated	O
TurboDuo	B-General_Concept
system	O
)	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
add-on	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Neo	B-Device
Geo	I-Device
CD	I-Device
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Costs	O
of	O
these	O
add-ons	O
were	O
generally	O
high	O
,	O
nearing	O
the	O
same	O
price	O
as	O
the	O
console	O
itself	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
disc-based	O
consoles	O
in	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
starting	O
in	O
1993	O
,	O
these	O
fell	O
by	O
the	O
wayside	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
initially	O
worked	O
with	O
Sony	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
similar	O
add-on	O
for	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Super	B-Device
NES	I-Device
CD-ROM	I-Device
,	O
but	O
just	O
before	O
its	O
introduction	O
,	O
business	O
relationships	O
between	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
Sony	O
broke	O
down	O
,	O
and	O
Sony	O
would	O
take	O
its	O
idea	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Philips	O
attempted	O
to	O
enter	O
the	O
market	O
with	O
a	O
dedicated	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
format	O
,	O
the	O
CD-i	B-Device
,	O
also	O
released	O
in	O
1990	O
,	O
that	O
included	O
other	O
uses	O
for	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
media	O
beyond	O
video	O
games	O
but	O
the	O
console	O
never	O
gained	O
traction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	O
had	O
a	O
long	O
tail	O
that	O
overlapped	O
with	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
's	O
discontinuation	O
in	O
2003	O
marking	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
keep	O
their	O
console	O
competitive	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
ones	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
took	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
coprocessors	B-General_Concept
manufactured	O
into	O
the	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
to	O
enhance	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
included	O
the	O
Super	B-Device
FX	I-Device
chip	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	B-Device
used	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
in	O
1993	O
,	O
generally	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	B-Device
games	O
to	O
use	O
real-time	O
polygon-based	O
3D	O
rendering	O
on	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
industry	O
nonetheless	O
continued	O
to	O
thrive	O
alongside	O
home	O
computers	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
much	O
lower	O
prices	O
,	O
easier	O
portability	O
,	O
circuitry	O
specifically	O
dedicated	O
towards	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
a	O
television	O
set	O
(	O
which	O
PCs	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
could	O
not	O
do	O
in	O
most	O
cases	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
intensive	O
first	B-Device
party	O
software	O
support	O
from	O
manufacturers	O
who	O
were	O
essentially	O
banking	O
their	O
entire	O
future	O
on	O
their	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
shift	O
to	O
32-bit	O
processors	O
,	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
also	O
saw	O
most	O
companies	O
excluding	O
Nintendo	O
shift	O
to	O
dedicated	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
formats	O
instead	O
of	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
,	O
given	O
their	O
lower	O
cost	O
of	O
production	O
and	O
higher	O
storage	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initial	O
consoles	O
of	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
attempted	O
to	O
capitalize	O
on	O
the	O
potential	O
power	O
of	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
,	O
which	O
included	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
CD32	I-Device
,	O
3DO	B-Device
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
cycle	O
,	O
these	O
systems	O
were	O
far	O
more	O
expensive	O
than	O
existing	O
fourth-generation	O
models	O
and	O
has	O
much	O
smaller	O
game	O
libraries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
co-processors	B-General_Concept
in	O
late	O
SNES	B-Application
games	O
further	O
kept	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
selling	O
systems	O
over	O
new	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
of	O
the	O
key	O
consoles	O
of	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
were	O
introduced	O
in	O
1995	O
:	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
,	O
both	O
which	O
challenged	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
 '	O
ongoing	O
dominance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
sold	O
well	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
have	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
technical	O
flaws	O
,	O
but	O
established	O
Sega	O
for	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
key	O
game	O
series	O
going	O
forward	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
using	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
,	O
also	O
introduced	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
memory	B-Device
cards	I-Device
as	O
to	O
save	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
memories	O
cards	O
had	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
to	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
transfer	O
game	O
information	O
between	O
home	O
and	O
arcade	O
systems	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
approach	O
allowed	O
games	O
to	O
have	O
much	O
longer	O
gameplay	O
and	O
narrative	O
elements	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
highly-successful	O
role-playing	O
games	O
like	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1996	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
became	O
the	O
best-selling	O
console	O
over	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
released	O
their	O
next	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
in	O
late	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
units	O
,	O
it	O
still	O
used	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
,	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
believed	O
the	O
load-time	O
advantages	O
of	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
over	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
was	O
still	O
essential	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
ability	O
to	O
continue	O
to	O
use	O
lockout	O
mechanisms	O
to	O
protect	O
copyrights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
also	O
included	O
support	O
for	O
memory	B-Device
cards	I-Device
as	O
well	O
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
developed	O
a	O
strong	O
library	O
of	O
first-party	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
that	O
helped	O
to	O
drive	O
its	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
did	O
not	O
match	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
sales	O
,	O
it	O
kept	O
Nintendo	O
a	O
key	O
competitor	O
in	O
the	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
market	O
alongside	O
Sony	O
and	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
transition	O
from	O
the	O
fourth	B-Application
to	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
,	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	O
has	O
a	O
long	O
overlap	O
with	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
console	B-Application
generation	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
remaining	O
in	O
production	O
until	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	O
,	O
console	O
technology	O
began	O
to	O
catch	O
up	O
to	O
performance	O
of	O
personal	O
computers	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
bits	O
as	O
their	O
selling	O
point	O
fell	O
by	O
the	O
wayside	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
consoles	O
of	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	O
saw	O
further	O
adoption	O
of	O
optical	B-Device
media	I-Device
,	O
expanding	O
into	O
the	O
DVD	O
format	O
for	O
even	O
greater	O
data	O
storage	O
capacity	O
,	O
additional	O
internal	O
storage	O
solutions	O
to	O
function	O
as	O
memory	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
adding	O
support	O
either	O
directly	O
or	O
through	O
add-ons	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
for	O
online	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
got	O
an	O
early	O
lead	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
first	B-Device
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	B-Device
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
to	O
include	O
a	O
modem	B-Application
to	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	O
network	O
and	O
play	O
online	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
its	O
Western	O
release	O
was	O
more	O
successful	O
than	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
was	O
soon	O
outperformed	O
by	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
released	O
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
the	O
first	B-Device
console	O
to	O
add	O
support	O
for	O
DVD	O
playback	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
maintaining	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
library	O
,	O
which	O
helped	O
to	O
draw	O
consumers	O
that	O
remained	O
on	O
the	O
long-tail	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
other	O
consoles	O
of	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	O
had	O
not	O
anticipated	O
this	O
step	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
's	O
introduction	O
of	O
backwards	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
became	O
a	O
major	O
design	O
consideration	O
of	O
future	O
generations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
a	O
strong	O
game	O
library	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
went	O
on	O
to	O
sell	O
155	O
million	O
units	O
before	O
it	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
remains	O
the	O
best	O
selling	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unable	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
Sony	O
,	O
Sega	O
discontinued	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
in	O
2001	O
and	O
left	O
the	O
hardware	O
market	O
,	O
instead	O
focusing	O
on	O
its	O
software	O
properties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	O
was	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
2001	O
,	O
its	O
first	B-Device
system	O
to	O
use	O
optical	B-Device
discs	I-Device
based	O
on	O
the	O
miniDVD	B-Device
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
special	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Player	I-Device
attachment	O
allowed	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
to	O
use	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
GameBoy	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
as	O
well	O
,	O
and	O
adapters	O
were	O
available	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
console	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
via	O
broadband	O
or	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
this	O
point	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
entered	O
the	O
console	O
market	O
with	O
its	O
first	B-Application
Xbox	I-Application
system	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
considered	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
's	O
success	O
as	O
a	O
threat	O
to	O
the	O
personal	O
computer	O
in	O
the	O
living	O
room	O
space	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
developed	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
to	O
compete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
was	O
designed	O
based	O
more	O
on	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
experience	O
from	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
using	O
an	O
operating	O
system	O
built	O
out	O
from	O
its	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
DirectX	B-Application
features	O
,	O
utilizing	O
a	O
hard	O
disk	O
for	O
save	O
game	O
store	O
,	O
built-in	O
Ethernet	O
functionality	O
,	O
and	O
created	O
the	O
first	B-Device
console	O
online	O
service	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
to	O
support	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
had	O
become	O
an	O
important	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
global	O
IT	B-Application
infrastructure	I-Application
by	O
the	O
mid-2000s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
estimated	O
that	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
represented	O
25%	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
general-purpose	O
computational	O
power	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
,	O
Sony	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
all	O
developed	O
consoles	O
designed	O
to	O
interface	O
with	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
adding	O
networking	O
support	O
for	O
either	O
wired	O
and	O
wireless	O
connections	O
,	O
online	O
services	O
to	O
support	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
,	O
digital	O
storefronts	O
for	O
digital	O
purchases	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
both	O
internal	O
storage	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
external	O
storage	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
for	O
these	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
consoles	O
also	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
digital	O
television	O
resolutions	O
through	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
interfaces	O
,	O
but	O
as	O
the	O
generation	O
occurred	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
the	O
High-definition	O
optical	B-Device
disc	I-Device
format	O
war	O
between	O
Blu-ray	O
and	O
HD-DVD	B-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
standard	O
for	O
high-definition	O
playback	O
was	O
yet	O
to	O
be	O
fixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
further	O
innovation	O
came	O
by	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
motion	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
,	O
either	O
built	O
into	O
the	O
console	O
or	O
offered	O
as	O
an	O
add-on	O
afterwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
entered	O
the	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
first	B-Device
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
saw	O
several	O
hardware	O
revisions	O
over	O
its	O
lifetime	O
which	O
became	O
a	O
standard	O
practice	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
going	O
forward	O
;	O
these	O
revisions	O
offered	O
different	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
larger	O
internal	O
hard	O
drive	O
or	O
a	O
fast	O
processor	O
at	O
a	O
higher	O
price	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
shipped	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
supported	O
DVD	O
discs	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
opted	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
HD-DVD	B-Operating_System
format	O
with	O
an	O
add-on	O
for	O
playback	O
of	O
HD-DVD	B-Operating_System
films	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
was	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
with	O
about	O
half	O
of	O
the	B-Application
original	I-Application
Xbox	I-Application
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
its	O
lifetime	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
was	O
troubled	O
by	O
a	O
consistent	O
hardware	O
fault	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
Red	B-Error_Name
Ring	I-Error_Name
of	I-Error_Name
Death	I-Error_Name
"	O
(	O
RROD	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
spent	O
over	O
$1	O
billion	O
correcting	O
the	O
problem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
represented	O
a	O
shift	O
of	O
the	O
internal	O
hardware	O
from	O
Sony	O
's	O
Emotion	B-Architecture
Engine	I-Architecture
to	O
a	O
novel	O
processor	O
named	O
CELL	O
that	O
would	O
require	O
use	O
of	O
new	O
parallel	O
processing	O
programming	O
paradigms	O
to	O
use	O
efficiently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CELL	O
had	O
a	O
notoriety	O
of	O
being	O
hard	O
to	O
develop	O
for	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
cause	O
issues	O
with	O
many	O
multi-platform	O
game	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PS3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initial	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
shipped	O
with	O
a	O
special	O
Emotion	B-Architecture
Engine	I-Architecture
daughterboard	O
that	O
allowed	O
for	O
backwards	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
games	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
unit	O
removed	O
this	O
,	O
leaving	O
software-based	O
emulation	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Sony	O
introduced	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
for	O
its	O
online	O
services	O
and	O
storefront	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
introduced	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
in	O
2006	O
around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
lacked	O
the	O
same	O
manufacturing	O
capabilities	O
and	O
relationships	O
with	O
major	O
hardware	O
supplies	O
as	O
Sony	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
compete	O
,	O
diverged	O
on	O
a	O
feature-for-feature	O
approach	O
and	O
instead	O
developed	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
around	O
the	O
novel	O
use	O
of	O
motion	B-Device
controls	I-Device
in	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
provided	O
various	O
online	O
services	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
could	O
connect	O
too	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
where	O
players	O
could	O
purchase	O
emulated	O
games	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
past	O
consoles	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
games	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
used	O
regular	O
sized	O
DVDs	O
for	O
its	O
game	O
medium	O
but	O
also	O
directly	O
supported	O
GameCube	B-Application
discs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
was	O
generally	O
considered	O
a	O
surprising	O
success	O
that	O
many	O
developers	O
had	O
initially	O
overlooked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
controller	O
,	O
both	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Sony	O
released	O
similar	O
motion	O
detection	O
controllers	O
for	O
their	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
motion	B-Device
controller	I-Device
device	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
served	O
as	O
both	O
a	O
camera	O
,	O
microphone	O
,	O
and	O
motion	B-Device
sensor	I-Device
for	O
numerous	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
released	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Move	I-Device
,	O
a	O
system	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
camera	O
and	O
lit	O
handheld	O
controllers	O
,	O
which	O
worked	O
with	O
its	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
concluded	O
with	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
the	O
usual	O
hardware	O
enhancements	O
,	O
consoles	O
of	O
the	O
eighth	B-Application
generation	O
focus	O
on	O
further	O
integration	O
with	O
other	O
media	O
and	O
increased	O
connectivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hardware	O
improvements	O
pushed	O
for	O
higher	O
frame	O
rates	O
at	O
up	O
to	O
4k	B-Architecture
resolutions	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
was	O
considered	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
but	O
geared	O
to	O
more	O
serious	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
supported	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
including	O
its	O
motion	B-Device
controls	I-Device
,	O
and	O
introduced	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
GamePad	O
,	O
a	O
tablet/controller	O
hybrid	O
that	O
acted	O
as	O
a	O
second	B-Application
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
further	O
refined	O
its	O
network	O
offerings	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
service	O
to	O
combine	O
storefront	O
and	O
online	O
connectivity	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
did	O
not	O
sell	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
planned	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
found	O
people	O
mistook	O
the	O
GamePad	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
tablet	O
they	O
could	O
take	O
with	O
them	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
console	O
struggled	O
to	O
draw	O
the	O
third-party	O
developers	O
as	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
had	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
came	O
out	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
initially	O
launch	O
had	O
included	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
device	O
but	O
this	O
became	O
highly	O
controversial	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
potential	O
privacy	O
violations	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
developer	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
its	O
mid-generation	O
refresh	O
,	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
had	O
been	O
dropped	O
and	O
discontinued	O
as	O
a	O
game	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
the	O
eighth	B-Application
generation	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
is	O
considered	O
the	O
first	B-Device
hybrid	O
game	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
placed	O
into	O
a	O
special	O
docking	O
unit	O
that	O
is	O
hooked	O
to	O
a	O
television	O
and	O
a	O
permanent	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
allowing	O
faster	O
clock	O
frequencies	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
at	O
higher	O
resolutions	O
and	O
frame	O
rates	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
more	O
comparable	O
to	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatively	O
,	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
removed	O
and	O
used	O
either	O
with	O
the	O
attached	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	O
as	O
a	O
handheld	O
unit	O
,	O
or	O
can	O
be	O
even	O
played	O
as	O
a	O
tablet-like	O
system	O
via	O
its	O
touchscreen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
larger	O
suite	O
of	O
online	O
services	O
was	O
added	O
through	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
subscription	O
,	O
including	O
several	O
free	O
NES	O
and	O
SNES	B-Application
titles	O
,	O
replacing	O
the	O
past	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
address	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
and	O
marketing	O
faults	O
around	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
launch	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
become	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
fastest-selling	O
consoles	O
after	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Sony	O
released	O
successors	O
to	O
their	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
in	O
November	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
console	O
families	O
target	O
4K	B-Architecture
and	O
8K	B-Architecture
resolution	I-Architecture
televisions	O
at	O
high	O
frame	O
rates	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
real-time	O
ray	B-Algorithm
tracing	I-Algorithm
rendering	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
high-performance	O
solid-state	B-Device
drives	I-Device
(	O
SSD	B-Device
)	O
as	O
internal	O
high-speed	O
memory	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
feature	O
greatly	O
decreasing	O
loading	O
times	O
and	O
allowing	O
game	O
content	O
to	O
be	O
delivered	O
much	O
faster	O
than	O
when	O
reading	O
from	O
optical	B-Device
disc	I-Device
or	O
standard	O
hard	O
drives	O
,	O
thus	O
making	O
open	O
world	O
games	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
appear	O
seamless	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Device
with	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	I-Device
Series	I-Device
S	I-Device
on	O
November	O
10	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Series	B-Device
X	I-Device
has	O
a	O
base	O
performance	O
target	O
of	O
60	O
frames	O
per	O
second	B-Application
at	O
4K	B-Architecture
resolution	I-Architecture
to	O
be	O
four	O
times	O
as	O
powerful	O
as	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
X	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
goals	O
with	O
both	O
units	O
was	O
to	O
assure	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
all	O
games	O
supported	O
by	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
including	O
those	O
original	B-Application
Xbox	I-Application
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
titles	O
that	O
are	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
with	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	I-Device
Series	I-Device
S	I-Device
to	O
support	O
four	O
generations	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
12	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
is	O
a	O
similar	O
performance	O
boost	O
over	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
uses	O
a	O
custom	O
SSD	B-Device
solution	O
with	O
much	O
higher	O
input/output	O
rates	O
comparable	O
to	O
RAM	O
chip	O
speeds	O
,	O
significantly	O
improving	O
rendering	O
and	O
data	O
streaming	O
speeds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chip	O
architecture	O
is	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
allowing	O
backwards	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
with	O
most	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
library	O
while	O
select	O
games	O
will	O
need	O
chip	O
timing	O
tweaking	O
to	O
make	O
them	O
compatible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Console	O
Introduced	O
Discontinued	O
Units	O
Sold	O
Japan	O
North	O
America	O
EuropePlayStation	O
520202020202017	O
,	O
300,000	O
As	O
of	O
Dec	O
.	O
31	O
,	O
2021Xbox	O
Series	B-Device
X	I-Device
and	O
Series	O
S20202020202012	O
,	O
000,000	O
(	O
est	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	B-Device
place	O
Home	B-Device
console	I-Device
with	O
the	O
highest	O
sales	O
of	O
its	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Second	B-Application
place	O
Home	B-Device
console	I-Device
with	O
the	O
second	B-Application
highest	O
sales	O
of	O
its	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Third	B-Application
place	O
Home	B-Device
console	I-Device
with	O
the	O
third	B-Application
highest	O
sales	O
of	O
its	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Remaining	O
places	O
Manufacturer	O
released	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
but	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
three	O
best-selling	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
of	O
its	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
entry	O
Manufacturer	O
did	O
not	O
release	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
ManufacturerGenerationFirst( 1972	O
–	O
1980	O
)	O
Second( 1976	O
–	O
1992	O
)	O
Third( 1983	O
–	O
2003	O
)	O
Fourth( 1987	O
–	O
2004	O
)	O
Fifth( 1993	O
–	O
2006	O
)	O
Sixth( 1998	O
–	O
2013	O
)	O
Seventh( 2005	O
–	O
2017	O
)	O
Eighth( 2012	O
–	O
present	O
)	O
Ninth( 2020	O
–	O
present	O
)	O
AtariHome	O
Pong(150,000 )	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
†( 30	O
million	O
)	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
◁( 1	O
million	O
)	O
Atari	O
Jaguar(250,000 )	O
ColecoTelstar	O
(	O
1	O
million	O
)	O
ColecoVision	B-Device
◁( 2+	O
million	O
)	O
Nintendo( 	O
1.5	O
million	O
)	O
NES	O
†( 	O
61.91	O
million	O
)	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
†( 	O
49.1	O
million	O
)	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
‡( 	O
32.93	O
million	O
)	O
GameCube	B-Application
◁( 	O
21.74	O
million	O
)	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
†( 	O
101.63	O
million	O
)	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
†	O
(	O
122.55	O
million	O
)	O
Magnavox/PhilipsOdyssey	O
(	O
330,000	O
)	O
Odyssey²(2 million )	O
(	O
N/A	O
)	O
CD-i(570,000 )	O
Mattel	O
ElectronicsIntellivision	O
‡( 3+	O
million	O
)	O
SegaMaster	O
System	O
‡( 10	O
–	O
13	O
million	O
)	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
‡( 	O
33.75	O
million	O
)	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
◁( 	O
9.26	O
million	O
)	O
Dreamcast( 	O
9.13	O
million	O
)	O
NECTurboGrafx-16	O
◁( 10	O
million	O
)	O
PC-FX(100,000 )	O
SonyPlayStation	O
†( 	O
102.49	O
million	O
)	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
†( 155	O
million	O
)	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
‡( 	O
87.4	O
million	O
)	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
‡	O
(	O
117.2	O
million	O
)	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
†	O
(	O
17.3	O
million	O
)	O
MicrosoftXbox	O
‡( 24	O
million	O
)	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
◁( 84	O
million	O
)	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
◁	O
(	O
)	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
‡	O
(	O
est	O
.	O
</s>
